Don't Let Me Fall
by blackrising
Summary: A rewrite of the windmill scene in the fourth ? episode. Claire/Tess FEMSLASH Warning: Incest, I guess.


Disclaimer: McLeods Daughters and everything related to it doesn't belong to me and it never will.

Title: Don't Let Me Fall

Pairing: Claire/Tess (Oh yes, I went there...xD)

A/N: So, I recently started watching McLeods Daughters and immediatly noticed the sheer amount of subtext. So I tried to find some femslash fics and was shocked to find only 3 (!) (all written by the same author, I believe). I still can't believe it. I mean, the series is basically about a bunch of women living and working on a ranch together, for god's sake! It's perfect!

And that's the reason I decided to write a fic myself. About the lovely half-sisters Claire and Tess. I haven't seen much of the first season yet (only 4 or 5 episodes), but I think I raised my eyebrows at least a hundred times already. I don't know about you, but to me, these two seem to share more than just a sisterly bond. (At least I haven't met anyone yet who acts like that around their sister...)

So if you can't stand the thought of two women and/or (half-)sisters lusting after each other, I suggest you get your pretty ass outta here and find some good ol' (*coughboringcough*) Nick/Tess or Alex/Stevie to read.

BTW, I didn't even try to make it seem like I know how Australians talk, because it'd just sound ridiculous if I did.

Alright, I'm (finally) done! On with the show!

**************

This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all.

Tess clamped her eyes shut, trying not to look anywhere. Why the hell did she have to climb up here in the first place? She risked a glance downward, immediatly shutting her eyes again when her stomach lurched violently.

Oh, right. Claire.

This had all just happened because Tess had insisted on proving that she wasn't as incapable as her half-sister seemed to think she was. Well, see how well that turned out.

Tess was stuck on the damn windmill and Claire was probably getting mad at her again, or worse, laughing her ass off.

„I'm a little afraid of heights!" she shouted, fear outweightening embarrassement. Tess barely heard the answering shout of „I'm coming!". She was much too occupied with being embarrassed and panicked at the same time.

Relief flooded through her veins when she heard Claire's voice and felt her comforting presence at her back.

„Alright, I've got you. I won't let go."

Tess had never doubted that. The two of them had their differences, for sure, but she had never doubted that she could trust Claire unconditionally.

„We'll climb down now. One step at a time."

„I can't!"

She wasn't as afraid as before, now that Claire was here, but moving was a different matter! Not to mention that Claire was pressed rather intimately against her and her body reacted in ways she really didn't have time to contemplate now. (Or ever, really.)

„Yes, you can! I won't let you fall."

Tess moved her foot a little, keeping her eyes closed. In her mind, she was (despite her determination not to) pondering the fact that she was closer to Claire now than she had been in the entire time she'd been here. The distraction only served to make her lose her footing. She squealed in fear at the sudden downward movement.

It was only Claire's strong hand on her waist that kept her from falling.

„Are you alright?"

Tess nodded her head, breathing hard. Whether it was because of her almost fall or Claire's hand on her waist was definitely a question for another time.

Claire moved down a bit.

„I'll take your foot and guide it to the next ledge, alright?"

Tess was in no condition to answer and Claire took her silence as permission to continue. She grabbed her and tugged at it until Tess relucantly moved it.

She only let go once Tess' foot was safely on the ledge and proceeded to do the same with the other one.

They repeated this procedure a few times until they were far enough to be able to jump to the ground. Claire did so and faced her half-sister.

Tess hadn't jumped yet, still shaking from the after-effects of the adrenaline.

„See, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Claire's smile was infectous (it happened rarely enough) and Tess smiled back lightly, preparing to follow after her and get back on solid ground.

What she hadn't expected was her foot getting caught somewhere and her whole body toppling forward. Fortunately for her, there wasn't much distance between her and the ground. Unfortunately for Claire, she stood in the way and was promptly taken down as well.

„Ow."

Tess lifted her head at the groan from somwhere underneath her and was rewarded with the sight of Claire's face mere inches from her own. Her half-sister still had her eyes closed, so she took the time to evaluate her situation.

She was lying on top of Claire. Their legs had gotten tangled up and Tess was painfully aware of the leg between her thighs. Yep, it was just as bad as it sounded. Claire _was _her sister, after all. Sure, they had different mothers, but when it came down to it, they were related and there was no denying it. So why was Tess feeling this way? As if lusting after a member of the own sex wasn't enough to make her feel decidedly uneasy (she had absolutely now problem with gay people, she just never expected to be one of them), she just had to have feelings for her half-sister. If that wasn't screwed up, she didn't know what was.

Feeling Claire's body pressed against her own like that was more than just a little enjoyable, though.

Just as all of Tess' blood decided to make a trip to her face, Claire opened her eyes.

Tess had expected her to get mad and push her away or just brush it off, but she did neither of these things. Instead, she just looked at her.

It was a gaze filled with many different emotions, but only one of them stood out clearly.

Want.

A promise of things yet to come.

Tess' eyes widened and her blush intensified as Claire's hands found their way to her waist. She had no idea what was happening, but her body seemed incredibly content to just stay where it was. In fact, her rapid heartbeat indicated that it couldn't wait to see what would happen.

„C-Claire?"

Her voice sounded weak and quiet. Even if she had wanted to protest, her voice just wouldn't come out stronger than that.

Tess might as well not have spoken though, because Claire showed no indication that she had heard her. Or maybe she just didn't care.

Was it just her imagination, or did Claire inch even closer? Tess felt her breath on her lips and shuddered slightly. She closed her eyes.

She would have enough time to feel guilty later. Right now, she wanted this. Wanted _her_. Half-sister or not.

Tess licked her lips and moved to brigde the remaining gap between them. Just as their lips were about to meet, the sound of feet sliced through the pleasant haze of desire that clouded her brain and she jerked her head back.

Tess quickly got to her feet, feeling too embarrassed to meet Claire's eyes and too guilty to look at Meg, Jodie or Becky.

„Are you two alright?"

She just nodded, suddenly finding the ground to be a very good place to be staring at. Claire answered for the both of them.

„Yes. We took a little fall, but we're alright."

She sounded so calm, Tess actually wondered if she had just imagined the kiss they'd almost shared.

She cleared her throat and forced herself to look up and act as normal as possible.

„I-I think I'll take a shower."

Tess hurried past the others, avoiding their questioning gazes, and didn't stop until she was safely inside the house. She leaned against the door and touched a finger to her lips.

She was sure this was for the better. She shouldn't want this in the first place and the kiss would have made everything worse.

Still, as Tess made her way to the shower she couldn't help the feeling that Claire might have let her fall after all.

And Tess couldn't bring herself to regret any of it.

The End

****************

A/N: Maybe I should write a sequel about Claire's take on the story...? Not that I need any more projects, mind you.


End file.
